Vehicle-wheel



(No Model.)

I H. E. OROIVLE.

VEHICLE WHEEL.

No. 397.897- Patented Feb. 19,1889,

5% MAO/ UNITED STATES PATENT FF-ICE.

HERMAN E. (ROME, F JERSEY (llTY, NEYV JERSEY.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 397,897, dated February 19, 1889.

Application filed March 23, 1888. Serial No. 268,201. (No model.)

To 61. whom it may concern: The balls (7 are shown as working between Be it known that I, HERMAN E. UROME, of the grooves c and e, and they are made of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and such size that the periphery of the portion 13 State of New Jersey, have invented a certain will be held at an equal distance from the in- 5 new and useful Improvement in Vehiclener periphery or circumference of the shellA \Vheels, of which the following is a specificaat every point. The distance between the option. posite points of the circumference of the in- I will describe the improvement in detail ner portion, B, and the inner periphery or cirand then point out thenovel features in claim. cumference of the outer portion, A, touched IO In the accompanying drawingslhave shown by a ball when in position will preferably be my improvement as applied to a railroad-ear so proportioned as to permit of the use of wheel, Figure 1 being a perspective view of 21 balls of such diameter that when all the balls railroad-car wheel embodying my improveare in position they will not only touch the ment, a portion of the outer shell being reinner periphery of the outer or shell-like por- I 5 moved to afford a view of the interior. Fig. tion and the periphery of the inner portion, 2 is a section taken through the dotted line so but will also be so close to each other as to (r, Fig. 1., and Fig. 3 is a face view of the comleave no space between any two balls. The pleted wheel. diameters of the circles formed at the deepest Similar letters of reference designate correpoints of the inner and outer grooves will 2o sponding parts in all the figures. therefore always be so proportioned as to ad- A designates the outer portion of arailroadmit of the use of a number of balls which carwhcel embodyingmyimprovement. This when in position will touch each other. For

outer portion is made hollow or shelllike, and instance, suppose I desire to use twenty-four its outer periphery or circumference, a, is balls, each five inches in diameter. I make a 2 5 similar in shape to the outer periphery or cirgroove in the outer portion or shell. the diamcumforence of milroad-car wheels ordieter of the circle formed by which at its deep narily made. This shell-like outer portion is est point will be 40.697]. inches, and the dimade in two parts, one part, as I), being inameter of the circle formed at the deepest. tended to lit as a cover on the other part. point of the groove in the inner portion will 0 The circular portion or circumference of the be 35.0971 inches.

outer shell, A, is preferably made thicker at The balls C are placed in position between one portion than at another, and the portion the grooves c and e in any desirable manner. of greater thickness will have a groove, 0. l have shown a hole, f, tapering inwardly lVhere the portions of greater and less t-hiekfrom the outer to the inner surface of the cir- S5 35 ncss meet a shoulder, (I, will be formed. The cum ference of the shell A, and through this part of less thickness will be of a depth hole the balls may be dropped. Of course i correspinuling to the thickness of the part b the inner portion, l3, will. be held while the of the shell, so that the part b will lit in posiballs are being placed in position, so that the tion. The part 7) maybe fastened in place balls may roll around between the grooves 0 o 40 on the shell A in any desirable manner-ms, and 6 until they reach the position they are for instance, by bolls 71 intended to assume. After all the balls are Within the shell A is the inner portion, 15, in position a wedge is inserted in this hole of the wheel. This innerporlion is shown as and secured in position bya pin or otherwise.

made solid, and as having a groove, e, formed The miter surface of this wedge will of course 45 in its circumlcrenee, and itis of smaller diambe of a contour corresponding to the outer eter than the interior diameter of the outer circumference of the shell A, while the opposhcll, A. Between the circumference of the site surface of the wedge will be of a contour inner portion, 13, and the inner periphery or corresponding to the inner circumference of I circumference of the outer shell, A, balls C the shell A. The balls may, however, be T00 50 are placed. These balls may be made of any placed in position between the periphery of suitable materialsuch,for instance, as steel. the portion l and the inner circumference of the shell A in any other desirable manner, I and the grooves o and e might be dispensed with.

It is obvious that when the balls are all t in position between the grooves I" and e the outer portion or shell, A, and the inner por- 1 tion, 13, will be held in position so that they 1 eannot; be separated without removing the balls. The balls, however, permit of theporl tions A and I) having motion ilnlependently of eaeh other.

l) is a ear-axle. it is attaehed to the portion .113 in any suitable manner-as, tor instance, by being shrunk thereto by hydraulic. pressure.

The axle l) will be so attaelnied to the eartruek that it will not revolve. \Yhen, therefore, the ear is moved, the weight borne by the axle is transferred by the portion B through the balls (I to the outer shell, J The axle D will hold the portion 1 stationary, and 1 the only parts of the wheel whieh will have movement: are the balls (1 and outer shell, A.

it will be seen that by my improvement I dispense with journal-lmarings and obviate the necessity for the use of oil. Brakes ean be more effectively applied on ears having,

wheels embodying my improvement than on cars having ordinary wheels, and my wheels can be used to greater advantage in turning curves. I

I may prevent the entrance of dust, sand, or dirt of any kind into my wheels or around the jt'ineture of the axle and wheel in any suitable manner. In the present case I use washers 5 of suitable material.

()1? course my improvement may be usedin wheels other than railr0ad-ear wheels, and therefore I do not limit myself to railroarIl-ear wheels.

\Vhat I elaim as my invention, and desire to seen re by Letters Pate11t,'is-

As a new artiele of manufacture, a wheel having an outer hollow shell-like portion, as A I), an inner portion, as l3,ballsor equivalent devices working between a groove on the periphery of the portion B and a groove on the inner periphery or circumference of the shell A, and means whereby said balls may be plaeed. in position, sul'istantia-lly as specified.

HERMAN E. (.ROME. witness's:

J. R. BOWEN, JNO. DENNIN. 

